Japan winger Shinji Kagawa has said he wants to extend his contract at Borussia Dortmund after his winning goal sealed a 2-1 win over Mainz to go seven-points clear at the top of the German league.
The 22-year-old brushed off jet-lag, having only returned to Dortmund from Japan two days before after international duty, to score a 77th-minute winner which capped a fine individual display on Saturday.
Kagawa has now scored eight goals in 21 league games this season and his outstanding recent midfield performances mean Dortmund have barely missed Germany's teenage star Mario Goetze, who is out with a groin injury.
The Japan star is out of contract in June 2013 but says he is relaxed about extension talks and wants to keep playing in Dortmund as long as he can.
"We'll have talks but there is no ultimatum or deadline," he said, having signed for Dortmund in July 2010 from Cerezo Osaka for just 350,000 euros.
"The atmosphere in the team is awesome, so I am just grateful for every game where I can play a role here."
The victory was Dortmund's eighth in succession and sets a new club record.
After Kagawa had set up Poland captain Jakub Blaszczykowski to put Dortmund ahead in the first half, Mainz striker Mohamed Zidan equalised against his former club 16 minutes from time.
Dortmund hit back just three minutes later and underlined their credentials as league leaders by responding with the winner as Kagawa converted a cross from defender Lukasz Piszczek.
Having flown across the world to play, Kagawa admits Bundesliga victory tasted sweeter, especially as several of his Dortmund team-mates were nursing knocks from international duty with both Poland and Germany.
"Especially after the internationals, it can make things very difficult to return," he said.
"Because it was such a difficult game, it make the victory more important and even nicer.
"Once they equalised, it was very important that we came back."
Source: AFP
